RESUMED! Sorry it's been so long. Life, has been busy what with visiting relatives and tsunamis... Anyway. Forward.

Chamber of Secrets is slowly becoming my least favourite book. It might be because of Molly Weasley. IDEK.

DOBBY and birthdays and disasters oh my! Harry learns a lot from creatures in this verse. From Hedwig he learns comfort and companionship. From Hagrid he learns friendship and laughter. From Dobby he learns equality and patience. Majority of his life he's been treated like Dobby has. A slave. A second class citizen. Less than. Maybe Harry doesn't have the capacity to see that he and Dobby are essentially on the same level but he does get the sense that someone always has it worse than you. His sense of justice immediately kicks in as he offers Dobby help, to which, he is embarrassed when lavished with praise and awe by the elf. When Dobby starts implying that Harry must be at the top of his year the boy automatically thinks of Hermione.

But he quickly stopped because thinking about Hermione was painful.

And yes, it's because the boy is hurting at his isolation from his friends during the whole of the summer and he misses Ron equally but C'MON JOANNE! Y U WRITE THAT?!?!?! It makes my shippy heart all a flutter when Hermione is the first thing on his mind and this IS NOT THE ONLY TIME IT HAPPENS!

Flattery really gets nowhere with Potter. I love this boy. He still refuses to give up Hogwarts and in a small way that speaks to Harry's character. Yes, it's something that he loves and can have, so, a measure of selfishness is playing a part in this but in the overall picture I think it more importantly illustrates the boy's integrity. He doesn't give in to demands. He doesn't relinquish what he wants. He holds on to it.

I also think Harry probably has an impossible neat freak/OCD/cleaning complex. OR he could be the complete opposite of that and develop into a hoarder what with being placed behind barred windows and a cat door for food with one bathroom break per 12 hours. Gah, that's worse than prison. PRISONERS HAVE TOILETS IN THEIR CELLS. Holy crap address these issues please? The boy probably has crazy physiological NOT to mention the psychological and emotional problems because of this treatment. Shit. This is why I excuse the boy from not catching on to things quickly and being rash in almost all his decisions because LOOK AT THE WAY HE WAS RAISED. IN. A. CUPBOARD. Yet. YET. through all of this he still thinks of others. He gives Hedwig his food as he only sips broth for his one meal. Break. My. Fucking. Heart. Guys... *sigh*

This is why Marcus Mumford is the poet to my Harry Potter loving soul: there will come a time with no more tears and love will not break your heart but dismiss your fears get over you hill and see what you find there with grace in your heart ;_;

Not to fret. THERE ARE RESCUE TIEMS!!! Oh my boys! If I were Molly Weasley I'd be proud of my boys for coming to a friend in their time of need. Oh sure, you'd be punished for not consulting adults in the matter but if I were Molly Weasley I would have loved my kids differently from her. They could come to me for help, not having to sneak around to do what is right. I'd drive the damn car over to Privet Drive myself. Her preferential treatment, favourtism and comparative criticism placed amongst her children drive me bonkers. What, exactly, is so fucking necessary about this feminine trope being in this narrative? Honesly? It reminds me of my Grandmothers, both of whom I do not have any sort of fondness or affection for because of the fuckery they put my parents through with similar if not exactly the same kinds of parenting tools Molly Weasley did. Just. NO.

But, back to the boys. Fred and George are AMAZING to see the value of doing some things the Muggle way even if it is a bit slooooooow. Yay for learning how to pick locks. Oh you curious boys. This is the sort of stuff you encourage in your children while helping them to find a balance and their limit. IT CAN BE DONE! *is living proof*

In a way Molly's anti-Muggle stance directly contributes to the attitudes that Voldemort encourages. WHAT? Yes. Now, I'm not saying Molly is EVIL or even anywhere near Voldemort's level of hatred but, when people are accustomed to thinking a certain way about certain things and have those thoughts so entrenched, with no room for acceptance or flexibility, where is the acceptance?

For example: Is the degnoming of the garden a brutalisation minimised by humour? Harry, at first, is appalled by this treatment of a living creature but he then quickly becomes desensitised to it. Once again the allotment of ignorance is what leads to hatred, racism, bigotry, prejudice and all those wonderfully despicable traits I loathe. Hermione's solution? Ask them to leave nicely or create some kind of community for them, some sort of cooperation and understanding would take place no matter how difficult the approach to bridge a gap may be. A solution for all to live in peace and equality would need to be found. (and this is why i love this girl)

Sure, you can tolerate behaviours and beliefs others have, but that's not the same as acceptance. You can tolerate someone/thing you HATE but you will never bring yourself to the point of love if at first you don't change your way of thinking. Choose to see things from their point of view. Granted there's still a little bit of subjection going on but have you tried to be objective? Hate starts with an idea and that idea is perpetuated through others attitudes. How else do you explain Hitler, Pol Pot or even more recently Gaddafi? You may not directly support them, but tolerating their regime and allowing their ideals to fester through the social consciousness makes you no less accountable.

Marcus Mumford: lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all... lend me your eyes I can change what you see but your soul you must keep totally free

Then on the converse of that we have Arthur Weasley who's a Muggle-lovin' wizard. 'They'll go to any lengths to ignore magic even if it's staring them in the face.' Loopholes and Arthur Weasley and Hermione Granger and Weasley twins. They're a slippery bunch. There would be no need for loopholes if things were fair and equal.

Ron showing Harry his room I think is the cement of their relationship. Ron is finally accepted by someone with no pre-existing expectation. He's ashamed of his small little room which I find sad. Your room should be a source of pride because you can clearly have an expression of self in that environment. Just MOLLY WEASLEY WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR CHILDREN?!?! UGH. The fact that Harry tells him it's the most brilliant house he's ever been in gives Ron a 'hey, don't worry, you're cool' validation.

In exchange though I can see why Harry falls in love with the entire family. The Weasley's give him esteem and pride. They value him as a person not just a hero. However, using this as a validation for OBHWF as endgame?

Hey! Wanted to apologize for basically flaking out on you. I feel REALLY BAD because I wanted to get really into this. But family and school have been giving me a hard time lately and I'm preparing for the SAT. I'm hoping that this madness will end soon! :/

I actually like this book. Partly for sentimental reasons (when I read SS, I was too young to really enjoy the story. Mostly I was all "BOOOORED NOW AND ONLY READING BECAUSE I WANT TO FINISH IT BEFORE MY NEIGHBORS DO BUT I'M SIX AND DON'T UNDERSTAND MOST OF THESE WORDS" and then somewhere in CoS, I fell in love and stopped caring about being competitive) Molly Weasley annoys me so much now, but at the same time I find it fascinating because there's this mystery, there's history of the school, and that is when the whole purebloods mantra of being superior really came out. It's not my FAVORITE (either PoA or GoF would have to take that spot) but it's definitely very enjoyable for me.

LOL, don't worry about it bb, it gives me something to do during the week. i haven't been very good with this either due to all the crazy stuff life decided to throw at me but i do enjoy doing this.

wow, six? damn this really has been people's childhoods, eh? yes! the history! still haven't gotten to that part yet though... i'm somewhere in diagon alley methinks. most of this post is coming off of notes that are weeks old so... i'm eager to get to the history of the school parts and those old wizard ways entrenched in the stones themselves. EXCITE!

I also think Harry probably has an impossible neat freak/OCD/cleaning complex

I don't think so? I mean, when he was cleaning out his trunk at the beginning of DH, he had, like, moldy food and crap in there, so...yeah, gross! I think he's kind of a slob, actually, lol. Wasn't there a scene in GoF when they were weighing the wands and his was all grubby and dirty?

being placed behind barred windows and a cat door for food with one bathroom break per 12 hours. Gah, that's worse than prison. PRISONERS HAVE TOILETS IN THEIR CELLS.

He gives Hedwig his food as he only sips broth for his one meal. Break. My. Fucking. Heart. Guys... *sigh*

I kind of wish that Harry was more obviously psychologically damaged because of this. I mean, people talk about his recklessness, demonstrating a lack of care for his own life, but that could be because he doesn't think about consequences and just reacts emotionally on the spur-of-the-moment, as opposed to 'my life is worthless and meaningless and nobody will miss me if I'm gone'. Aside from that minor, possibly not-related-to-abuse trait, we get NOTHING, no consequences at all from his mistreatment.

This is why I think I don't give him a lot of credit, because it has no realistic impact on him? A lot of kids have issues just with emotional abuse, let alone being starved and beaten and neglected like he is, but he emerges perfectly all right, no insecurity, no feeling of worthlessness, still able to make friends and open up to others, etc. People attribute that to his pure heart and everything, which, fine, as fans, I understand that, but to me, it seems to cheapen the serious issue of child abuse to suggest it has no impact at all on him.

people are accustomed to thinking a certain way about certain things and have those thoughts so entrenched, with no room for acceptance or flexibility,

This. I hate all the anti-Muggle prejudice in the books from the main characters. If JKR was aware of this hypocrisy, she could've addressed it in an interesting way, with Harry realizing people he likes are prejudiced in their own way and how it paves the way for mistreatment of others, but instead, Muggles are dehumanized and their abuse by wizards is a subject of humor or just handwaved away.

I think it was Molly's introduction where she sniffs haughtily and says something disparaging about all the Muggles crowding around and getting in her way- I'm like, WTF, you stupid woman, this is a MUGGLE TRAIN STATION, what do you expect? They should just avoid it for your convenience? When they don't even know there's a super sekrit wizard platform there in the first place? UGH, STFU.

Hermione's solution? Ask them to leave nicely or create some kind of community for them, some sort of cooperation and understanding would take place no matter how difficult the approach to bridge a gap may be

LOVE. Go, Hermione! Too bad this is just a fleeting moment and won't have any development.

They value him as a person not just a hero

Yes, I mean, good for them, that's great. But I think anybody else would've done the same if given the chance. Let's not forget that Ginny was super eager to see Harry 'Boy-Who-Lived' Potter in PS/SS, wasn't she squirming and trying to run after him when she heard who he was? And Ron, iirc, only came to speak to him because he knew Harry was 'special'. After that, of course, they developed an appreciation of him as a person, my point is that they started off with just knowing of him by his legendary rep, before any personal affection happened, and other kids prob would've, too, if he'd given them a chance.

so totally keeping an eye out for this trait because i've seen so many differing opinions about this through the fic world that idek!

...we get NOTHING, no consequences at all from his mistreatment.

This is why I think I don't give him a lot of credit, because it has no realistic impact on him?

...but he emerges perfectly all right, no insecurity, no feeling of worthlessness, still able to make friends and open up to others, etc. People attribute that to his pure heart and everything, which, fine, as fans, I understand that, but to me, it seems to cheapen the serious issue of child abuse to suggest it has no impact at all on him.

Okay, this? I place solely on Rowling's shoulders because THIS? THIS IS A GODSDAMNED GOLDMINE OF CHARACTER TRAIT AND BEHAVIOUR RIPE FOR THE PICKING. DEVELOP THIS. GOD. DAMN. WHERE IS THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCE? ANY ONE, NO MATTER HOW WELL ADJUSTED TO 'NORMAL', DOES NOT LIVE A LIFE HEALTHILY UNSCATHED WITH NO CONSEQUENCE AFTER SUFFERING THIS KIND OF TREATMENT. NO. ONE. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THEY ARE NO MATTER HOW MUCH LOVE HAS SAVED THEM NO. MATTER. HONESTLY JOANNE. HONESTLY! I ALWAYS WANT THIS TO BE ADDRESSED AND IT NEVER EVER EVER IS IN CANON. THAT THE LORDS OF KOBOL FOR THE INVENTION OF FANFIC COS OI WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT IT?!

that prejudiced thing: ALSO SOMETHING ROWLING DROPPED THE BALL ON. GAH. Superiority complex much? Uh, YEAH. And you're not even that great of a witch so wtf with all your subtle anti-Muggle antics. Yes, you do not kill people, but, attributing cultural and significant ignorance against that which you do not understand, NOR make the attempt to understand makes you no better than those around you actively spewing hate. In fact, IMO, it makes you worse than those because at least you know where those who outwardly hate you stand. I imagine Hermione taking issue with this in her future mother-in-law. But you know what? It kind of totally explains Ronald's view of things sometimes: IE TROLLS BE STUPID, HOUSE ELVES ARE ONLY TO BE OUR SERVANTS etc etc... and this is not just speaking as a H/Hr shipper but, the ways in which Hermione does not fit in/compliment the Weasley clan far outweigh the ones in which she does. OBHWF my. ass.

my point is that they started off with just knowing of him by his legendary rep, before any personal affection happened, and other kids prob would've, too, if he'd given them a chance.

Agree, but also, besides Hogwarts, they're his soft place to land so out of some fucking noble heart he probably doesn't even see that they all at first initially 'worshiped' him. Except mayhaps the twins who were the first to make contact with him and out of their awesomeness decided to help the new kid with getting his trunk on the train and THEN realised who he was. I wish there was more talk/fic/shown of the twins bromance with Harry because for me, they are the true Gryffindor's. They have heart before they have courage and to me, that's more important than sheer gusto. OH BOYS! I'm so gonna fucking lose it when Fred dies on screen. FUCK.

Er, random, not really related, but I'm writing something for a fic exchange and I have about a thousand words and I was wondering if I could email it to you you and get your thoughts? It deals with young!Harry but I'm not sure if I'm getting it right, because he kind of seems more like emo!OotP!Harry only I can't think of a way to rewrite him to make it more appropriate and I kind of think he would be a moody child anyway? What with everyone hating his guts or not wanting to be around him because he's BAD NEWS and such? AS IF THAT WOULDN'T MAKE YOU UPSET AND GLUM AND RESENTFUL.

Okay, you haven’t read DH, so you don’t know the passage I’m referring to- it’s at the beginning, so this isn’t a spoiler!

Harry had spent the morning completely emptying his school trunk for the first time since he had packed it six years ago. At the start of the intervening school years, he had merely skimmed off the topmost three quarters of the contents and replaced or updated them, leaving a layer of general debris at the bottom—old quills, desiccated beetle eyes, single socks that no longer fit. Minutes previously, Harry had plunged his hand into this mulch

Never fully emptied it! Beetle eyes! MULCH. :O

I place solely on Rowling's shoulders

Yeah, you know how characters are sometimes known for being ‘cooler than they’re written’? Harry’s more damaged than he’s written!

THIS IS A GODSDAMNED GOLDMINE OF CHARACTER TRAIT AND BEHAVIOUR RIPE FOR THE PICKING

Exactly! I’d’ve found him more interesting and sympathetic if that were the case! I think she thinks he’d be unrelatable or something, but come on, how is it not a good story to have a kid struggling to open himself up and trust others and make himself vulnerable in order to experience a bond with friends he was never allowed to have before? As it is, it’s like she wanted to play the sympathy card- ‘I know! I’ll make him an orphan! With horrible relatives! Who abuse him! AND MAKE HIM LIVE IN A CUPBOARD’- but then chickened out of writing the accompanying issues. It’s one thing if this were someone else’s series, but for it to be from Harry’s pov and nothing is addressed…wow, fail.

you're not even that great of a witch so wtf with all your subtle anti-Muggle antics.

You know what makes me headdesk? When people say it’s great how she- crap, I just realized I was about to say something about DH that I’m not sure if you know or not. You know about Fred, but I’m not sure what else, so yeah. ANYWAY.

The point is, she’s just as prejudiced against Muggles as other wizards are against Muggle-borns, and it pisses me off how this isn’t seen as issues of equal import- the author makes it clear one is cool and the other is EVIL.

I think my problem is that I've built all of the characters up so much in my own head!canon, that I am so utterly disappointed when it comes to the lack of execution in canon. IE: Ginny! I did not know she was so loathed in fandom NOR did I know that Harry was considered 'whiny' and often hated. WHAT IS THAT?! HE'S THE HERO OF THE STORY! There are so. many. things that Rowling dropped the ball on or missed the opportunity of developing things that could have been SO BEAUTIFUL and really said something about her talent instead of the money making machine (how's THAT for alliteration) she became. I guess it was easier to appease the masses with simplistic easy outs.

Oh, are you talking about Molly killing Bellatrix? COS WHAT THE EFFING WHAT WITH THAT?! Yeah, know the overall who dies stuff but not so much about the details of how all these things happen, which, is pretty much all the fun I'm expecting to get out of DHP2 cos I am NOT looking forward to having the crapilogue thrust upon my eyeballs.

you know what? It kind of totally explains Ronald's view of things sometimes: IE TROLLS BE STUPID, HOUSE ELVES ARE ONLY TO BE OUR SERVANTS etc etc...

*flails* I disagree! Ron in GoF actually made me kinda like him, if only in regard to the house-elf issue. I can’t find the quote now and it’s DRIVING ME INSANE ‘coz I’ve searched for different key words and can’t find the bloody line in my pdf copy of GoF so maybe a chapter is missing or something, but I remember Hermione leaving hats and socks around the tower to trick house-elves into being freed (this makes no sense, btw, house-elves do laundry, so why do they get freed if they find it under a newspaper but not if they pick up the sheets on a bed or gloves on the floor, etc?) and Ron uncovered them so that the house-elves would have a choice if they were to be freed or not (again, what makes these things knitted by Hermione special?) instead of disregarding their feelings like Hermione. I get her intentions are good, but she saw Winky! She got dismissed and went to pieces and is a nervous drunken wreck who’s always crying and is ostracized from her own kind.

It’s kind of horrible that she would free them without any consideration for what would happen afterwards! These house-elves were happy and found their work fulfilling and the idea of ‘freedom’ horrifying and her response is not to take their feelings into consideration, not to try to teach them a different way of life or what rights ought be available to them in her opinion, it’s to take away their choice by making this decision for them. Okay, she’s trying to free them as opposed to enslave them, but she’s still denying them the right to decide what they want in life, just as much as their ‘oppressors’. It was the wrong way to go about it and I never stop getting annoyed at her for it.

OBHWF my. ass. ON THIS, AT LEAST, WE ARE AGREED.

besides Hogwarts, they're his soft place to land Aww, I like that description.

the twins who were the first to make contact with him and out of their awesomeness decided to help the new kid with getting his trunk on the train and THEN realised who he was

THIS. What. The twins helped a new kid? I find that so OOC, in retrospect. But I still really like it! Even if it seems more likely they’d mess around with him, steal his stuff or something. I mean. These are the boys who fed firsties rigged candy that knocked them unconscious and did other nasty things to innocent people, so it’s bizarre that Harry got the royal treatment. But hey, good for them!

You have the advantage here. This re-read is more like a first read because I have been so immersed in movie!canon and fanon!fanon that I needed to get my lenses changed. When I get to this part in GoF I'll be sure to look for this. I will say this though, Hermione is probably not thinking about the issue long term. She's immediately attempting, in her wide-eyed optimistic gusto to do what she sees, at that moment in time with her limited life experience and impatience of youth, the right thing. Overly righteous perhaps? But that just gives me one more thing to point out in her commonality with Harry and why they are my OTP because WHO ELSE WOULD RUSH SO FULL OF PASSION INTO THINGS HEAD LONG WITHOUT FULLY COMPREHENDING THE BIGGER PICTURE?

BTW, I love that even though you love Hermione, you are not blind to her faults which, I have a tendency to do because I am an eternal optimist and ILOVEHERSFM. So, I'm glad that you are able to make me see her a bit more objectively and more importantly fully as much more that a character on a page. KU. DOS. BB.

TWINS ARE MY FAVE. George exhibits a more vocal concern whereas Fred is all about the actions. George expressed worry over getting Ginny new robes in CoS when they were looking at the DADA required texts and my heart went all a fluttery. I also wish more of the twins bromance with Harry was in the films because I enjoy their interactions in the books. Such a contrast with Harry's relationship with Dudley that it would've been nice to see... I guess that's why PoA is my fave movie because Cuaron really tried to bring in all these aspects from the overall feel the books gave me.

CoS was always my least favorite book, even when I first read it. Idk why really, just was. Couldn't compare to PoA I guess lol (there were only the first three out at the time).

I do like reading your reviews of the books. It's interesting hearing the perspective of someone first reading them as an adult that can take a more analytical look at the story and characters than I ever did on the first read-throughs. :)

A lot of people say CoS was their least fave. I guess the first book was exciting because it was a new world and then people expected it to get bigger and better but it was still self-contained and kind of quiet for a while before something major happened and then another lull?

Hiya! Thanks for stopping by and it's okay if you do it more often. Whether they be in agreement or contrary to mine, I like to hear/read other people's opinions cos it might make me think differently.

There were so many thing left unaddressed in canon that a lot of fandom took for granted. I'm not sure if that's due to the target age of Potter or if some of the themes weren't taken seriously by the older audience. Whatever the case may be, I WISH IT WERE DIFFERENT.

>This is why I excuse the boy from not catching on to things quickly and being rash in almost all his decisions because LOOK AT THE WAY HE WAS RAISED. IN. A. CUPBOARD. Yet. YET. through all of this he still thinks of others. He gives Hedwig his food as he only sips broth for his one meal. Break. My. Fucking. Heart. Guys... *sigh*

EXACTLY! I was having this exact same conversation with another writer of potter fic recently, about how Harry's true heroism doesn't have anything to do with defeating Voldemort. It's his ability to bear up under the daily grind of the forces set against him that impresses. He is very definitely flawed, but I do think you can trace a lot of those flaws back to the Dursley's. When you look beyond his surface interactions he does have real issues with his sense of self worth, his temper, his distorted self perception, etc. That's reflected in his insecurity in Ron's friendship, his difficulties in reaching out to people beyond Hermione and Ron even when he's aware of their problems (Neville) and his lack of awareness as to his own position in the magical world and the ramifications of same.

In DH, after Ron leaves and he has no clue how to comfort Hermione - yeah, that's Dursley damage coming through.

But for all that he keeps f***ing going. Not always with a lot of grace or forward planning, but he will not give up wehn people are counting on him.

Word on Molly Weasley too. When you go back and analyse everything she says and does through the books she's a damn unpleasant woman. Almost a low rent Malfoy, frankly (take away the genocidal impulses and there's not a lot to differentiate her from Lucius). And when you consider the way she latches on to Harry in light of his fame and (possible) inherited wealth, well . . .

I like your words. They are far more articulate and concise to what I ~feel for this boy. He really puts himself out there when it comes to trusting adults and sometimes it's really awesome and other times it just makes him regret things more... THIS. BOY. OMG.

And when you consider the way she latches on to Harry in light of his fame and (possible) inherited wealth, well.

Hmm... as awful as Molly Weasley is I don't think that she's the money grubbing type of witch. If she were she wouldn't have married Arthur. So while she may be uneven with certain things, I think she really loves Harry out of being friends with his parents and because as a mother her instinct is to take care of him. Julie Walters does an excellent job of portraying this in the films. Molly is less grating to me there because she's such a phenom. LOVE. HER.